Food and other products are increasingly manufactured, distributed and utilized in flexible packaging that employ a variety of plastic films. The flexible packaging is typically in the form of a pouch or bag, in which one or more sides are sealed together, typically heat-sealed together, to contain the product within. To facilitate proper sealing, the packaging film should have acceptable properties to allow for one or more of: (a) high-speed production; (b) inhibition of product loss during distribution; and/or (c) ease of opening by the end-user. Proper sealing characteristics arise from an appropriate combination of seal pressure, seal temperature and seal duration during the manufacturing process. To find a suitable (or even optimal) combination, three types of laboratory tests can be performed: a Hot Tack Test, a Heat Seal Test, and an Aged Seal Test. In these tests, several samples (e.g., at least three samples) are typically evaluated of each film batch or type at a given test condition to facilitate reliable and/or statistically accurate testing data.
Known commercially available systems that perform some or all of the basic Hot Tack, Heat Seal and Aged Seal tests include: (a) the Hottack 3000, manufactured by J&B Material Tester, Belgium; (b) the HTH2 Hot Tack Heat Sealer, manufactured by Dynisco Instruments, Franklin, Mass.; (c) the SL 10 Hot Tack Tester, manufactured by Lako Tool, Perrysburg, Ohio, and (d) the Magma Heat Seal & Hot Tack Tester, manufactured by Enepay Corporation, Raleigh, NC. U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,331,858 and 5,847,284 to H. Theller also describe packaging film testing devices; the contents of these patents are hereby incorporated by reference as if recited in full herein.